Jeff Cannon

Growing up, I never really had any interest in golf, until 1996, when my buddies started to take up golf. They talked about playing golf, and more so, drinking beer while playing golf. My first round was played at an 18 hole course in Duarte, California. I remember my buddy Chris handing me a few clubs at the first tee so it looked like I had my own clubs. I am sure I picked up the ball countless times and/or looked in every bush from errant shots, but I was hooked on the game. It was then that I bought my first clubs, a set of Arnold Palmer woods and irons along with a Big Bertha driver knock-off; a “Big Birdie”. The head on this thing was as big as a football, which worked because at the time I couldn’t hit the side of a barn with a club.

After a few years I got a little bit better, and enjoyed hanging out on a weekend morning with great friends, getting frustrated while hitting a golf ball, riding around in a cart, and drinking beers. What a great sport. At this point I bought my next set of clubs; Adams Redline Hybrids, which I told my wife was the last set of clubs I would ever need. But as most golfers do, I ask her yearly for new clubs. My buddies and I started going on golf trips to Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, and recently, New Mexico. The goal was to play as much golf as possible and just relax. Every year we accomplished this goal.

When I moved out to Longmont, Colorado with my wife and daughter, I wanted to get involved in the town I live in. I joined the Sunset Golf Course Men’s Club and served a few years as the Chairman of the Longmont Golf Advisory Board. I also met a new golf buddy since I have moved here. Mark and I became friends through our daughters and found out we have a similar passion for golf. We started talking about playing and promoting Colorado’s 9 hole golf courses, and the rest is history. We hope you enjoy the site and it opens your eyes to all the wonderful 9 hole courses that Colorado has to offer.

Mark Frederick

I first played Golf in Fort Myers, Florida when I was 7 years old. My Dad and Grandfather took me with them to the Fort Myers Country Club. I had one club, and pretty much ran next to the cart playing field hockey. My success, of course, resulted in Grandma buying me my first set of clubs. A Ben Hogan junior set from Sears. We moved to Ohio where I played with Dad and Gramps in Perrysburg, and then to Virginia where we played a course in Fairfax called Pinecrest. It was an 18 hole course when I was 13, but is now an executive 9. After that it was occasional beer golf until one day, my then 14 year old son, whipped my butt at the 9 hole Jefferson Park course in Falls Church, Virginia. My excuse was that I was playing in work boots and cut offs with my girlfriend’s clubs. But the beating inspired me, along with sobriety, to get as good as I could and qualify for the SRPGA! Yeah! Well, you’ve got to have a goal. So I proceeded to play a lot of golf. I mean, a LOT of golf. I played 72 rounds at the Jefferson course alone in my first year. I took lessons, lots of lessons. I was 39 when I started my quest, and by 41, I was starting to see some results. The first set of Wilson clubs gave way to some Orlimarclubs, and then a custom fitted set of 990Titleists, aMizunoDriver, and an Odyssey Two Ball putter, which I shortened and still use today.

I practiced. I read all about Ben Hogan and his work ethic. I practiced. Taking a measuring wheel, laundry baskets, and my wedges (Cleveland RTG’s), and my Dave Pells book to the local school and hitting wedges for hours. And I practiced. So, when I turned 42, I felt I needed to get into some competitions. Not scrambles, or two man best ball, but stroke play, before I had a stroke. So I went to some rules classes, lectures by Bob Rotella, listened to tapes, and looked for a small tour in Virgina. I was shocked to find several. The main one was the Par Golf Tour, now deceased. It played some of the best courses in the Mid-Atlantic, at about 6800-7000 yards. The Tour was well run, and pulled about 60 players for a purse of around 10k. Not a lot of money, enough to give up my amateur status, and let me tell you,when you stand over a putt for a few thousand bucks, you feel the pressure! I also played two other tours, and had a little success, but not much. I did get my handicap down into the low single digits. Still, it was a far as I could go without bankruptcy. Also along the way, I got certified with the USGTF to teach, which really helped my game. But alas, I made more money on my taxes than I did playing as a professional. So, at 46, I realized that I was not going to get any better without more money and time, of which I had neither.

So I got married instead, had a little girl, and watched my handicap climb. It’s only golf, being a Dad is way cooler. Which brings us to now. What is this about? A mid life crisis at 54? Maybe. At least its not deadly. I love this game. It is a snap shot of how to deal with life. It is a lesson in life in every shot. I also spent my formative years on 9 hole courses, and I think they are under appreciated, under played, and under served by the golf industry. I also love history, and there is a rich golf history in Colorado, along with incredible views, wonderful towns and really interesting people. So, I wanted to combine all of this and bring to the public attention. So that’s the short side of “my story”. So I hope you like what we bring you, and you learn something you didn’t know before, when you stopped in.